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Northern Rockies
In January of 2001, President Clinton announced his Final Roadless Policy. The new roadless plans includes 6 million acres in MT, 9 million in ID, and 3 million in WY -- the largest affected area in lower 48. Grizzly Bear restoration with the Fish and Wildlife Service starts next year; so far activists have fought off delisting of the bears from the Endangered Species list. In 1803, President Thomas Jefferson sent captains Meriwether Lewis and William Clark and their team of explorers west, with orders to find the "shortest and most convenient route of communication between the U.S. and the Pacific Ocean." Almost 200 years later, the Northern Rockies -- spanning much of Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, Oregon and Washington -- continue to host all of the animal species present when Lewis and Clark first ventured across this spectacular landscape. Images of the West explored by Lewis and Clark are more than memories here. In the Northern Continental Divide ecosystem, the gray wolf is beginning to make a comeback alongside the largest grizzly bear population in the lower 48 states. The Greater Yellowstone ecosystem, famous for its geyser basins, is host to bison, mountain lions and vast herds of elk. The Salmon and Clearwater rivers, critical spawning areas for the steelhead trout and several species of salmon, flow through the region's Greater Salmon-Selway ecosystem, one of the most rugged areas in America. Fortunately, Americans recognized the value of this natural treasure early on, and in 1872 took the first step in a long history of preservation measures: the designation of Yellowstone National Park. The tradition continued with the designation of some of the most extensive and important official wilderness areas in the country. For example, the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness in Idaho is the single largest wilderness area in the lower 48 states, and the Bob Marshall Wilderness complex may be the most biologically complete of all wilderness areas designated in the country. But significant unprotected gaps remain throughout this distinctive system of parks and wilderness, threatening the healthy survival of the region's spectacular wildlife. Many of the large, wide-ranging species of the Northern Rockies require undisturbed habitat in order to thrive. But agricultural development, suburban sprawl and highways have claimed most of the prime habitat in valleys and bottomlands. Many large tracts of wildlands have been fractured by logging, mining and grazing, leaving only bits and pieces of fragmented, undeveloped habitat. This loss and isolation of habitat is the number-one threat to animal species in the Northern Rockies. In isolation, even the Yellowstone, Northern Continental Divide and Selway-Salmon ecosystems are not capable of sustaining healthy populations of many species. The wildlands between these ecosystems are essential as bridges for migration and a healthy genetic interchange of plants and wildlife. These biological corridors, along with the low-lying forested slopes, must be protected if the region's unique wildlife are to survive. For instance, confined to a few isolated areas, there are fewer than 1,000 grizzlies in the lower 48 states, less than 1 percent of their original population. Roads are the single greatest threat faced by grizzly bears today. In the Greater Yellowstone area, some 900 miles of new logging roads are planned for the next decade; these are in addition to the 7,500 already crisscrossing and fragmenting grizzly bear habitat. The Sierra Club and other conservation groups have teamed with scientists and economists to devise a solution to protect what remains of the country Lewis and Clark explored. The heart of this solution is wilderness designation for most of the remaining national forest roadless areas in the Northern Rockies, the foundation of biodiversity in the region. Crucial portions of roadless areas are immediately threatened with roadbuilding and destructive logging. A wilderness designation for core areas will permanently remove many of these areas from this looming threat. Other proposed actions will help ensure the ecological health of the Northern Rockies:
In all, these steps would increase protection for 20 million acres in a way that is both ecologically and economically sound. A coalition of wildlands advocates continues to work to implement these strategies, with a vision of obtaining long-lasting protection for the Northern Rockies and the wildlife that reside there. In fact, a bill in Congress to implement many of these strategies has developed a strong and diverse network of support across the country. The Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act serves as a valuable tool in the fight to save the "Wild Rockies." For more information, contact: Melinda Pierce melinda.pierce@sierraclub.org Larry Mehlhaff larry.mehlhaff@sierraclub.org Photo courtesy Scott T. Smith National Wildlands | SPARE Report Main Up to Top HOME | Email Signup | About Us | Contact Us | Terms of Use | © 2008 Sierra Club |
